Toro Rosso STR1

Racing car
Car_name = Toro Rosso STR1


Category = Formula One
F1 car =
Constructor = Scuderia Toro Rosso
Designer = Mark Smith (Red Bull RB1)
Gabriele Tredozi
Team = Scuderia Toro Rosso
Drivers = 20. Vitantonio Liuzzi
21. Scott Speed
Technical ref = cite book| last =Henry| first =Alan (ed)| authorlink =Alan Henry| title =AUTOCOURSE 2006-2007| publisher =Crash Media Group| date =2006| pages =pp.82-83| id =ISBN 1-905334-15-X]
Chassis = Carbon-fibre monocoque
Front suspension = Cast titanium uprights, pushrods, carbon-fibre upper and lower wishbones
Rear suspension = As front
Wheelbase =
Track =
Engine name = Cosworth TJ2005-2
Capacity =
Configuration = V10 (90°)
Turbo/NA = Normally aspirated (limited to 16,700/17,000 rpm)
Engine position =
Gearbox name = Red Bull
Gears = seven-speed
Type = longitudinally-mounted with hydraulic shift and clutch operation
Differential =
Weight = Auto kg|600 including driver
Fuel = Shell
Tyres = Michelin
Debut = 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix
Races = 18
Wins = 0
Cons_champ =
Drivers_champ =
Poles = 0
Fastest_laps = 0|The Scuderia Toro Rosso STR01 was the car with which the Scuderia Toro Rosso team competed in the F1|2006 Formula One season. It was driven by Vitantonio Liuzzi, who had started four Grands Prix for the sister Red Bull Racing team in F1|2005, and Scott Speed, a débutant who was the first American driver to compete in F1 since Michael Andretti in F1|1993.

2006 marked a new beginning, as Red Bull had bought the Minardi team which had competed in F1 for twenty years and renamed it using the Italian translation of their brandname. The new team inherited Minardi's technical team and its factory at Faenza only, as ex-owner Paul Stoddart kept Minardi's other property in Ledbury. A deal which allowed the team to run restricted V10 engines, instead of V8s, was also maintained despite the new ownership.

This allowed Toro Rosso to use an almost identical version of the previous year's Red Bull RB1 coupled with the same Cosworth engines, only power-restricted under the FIA's equivalency formula. Both the chassis-sharing and V10 engine usage remained controversial topics throughout the season, as the engine agreement was designed to benefit the poor Minardi team, not the much richer Red Bull company. However, this wore off as the season progressed, as fears over the car's potential performance advantage proved to be unfounded.

This was largely due to the year-old chassis, the torque advantage of the V10 being cancelled out by traction control, and the lack of engine development and tyre testing given to the team. However, the team were generally more competitive than Midland/Spyker and Super Aguri, and Liuzzi was able to score the team's one and only point at Indianapolis.

Liuzzi was generally the quicker of the drivers, although Speed improved as he gained in experience. Despite both getting involved in several accidents and mistakes due to their inexperience, the STR duo both drew praise from part-team owner Gerhard Berger for their performances. [cite news| title =Berger happy with 'rookies'.| publisher =Crash.net| url =http://www.crash.net/news_View~t~Berger-happy-with--rookies--~cid~1~id~131207.htm| date =2006-05-31| accessdate =2006-12-31]

The team eventually finished ninth in the Constructors' Championship, with one point.

Complete Formula One results

() (results in bold indicate pole position)

References

*cite book| last =Henry| first =Alan (ed.)| authorlink =Alan Henry| coauthors =| title =AUTOCOURSE 2006-2007| publisher =Crash Media Group| date =2006| location =| pages =pp. 82-83| url =| doi =| id =ISBN 1-905334-15-X